The great deluge is ending.

I am certain that for some of you this is similar to the end of an apocalypse movie where the main character finds civilization and breaks down and cries for lack of another method of communication.

And I wouldn’t blame you for a moment.

With only the rather interesting looking Transformers: War for Cybertron (the developers seem to know what they are doing, honest) and Crackdown 2 (which unfortunately looks wildly similar to Crackdown 1), there seems to be a clear view from Bizarre’s upcoming Blur to Halo: Cloaked Rocket Launcher Fellow Edition (Reach for short).

With all of this spare time I’ve decided to:

A. Revive Graphicswhore.com with black magic, avoiding the dallying in science that causes monster outbreaks.

B. Play through Silent Hill 2 and 3 again (franchise’s crescendo worth replaying).

AND

C. Savor my games, becoming more of a wine taster than a game reviewer in the process.

This begins with one Alan Wake, a game I was looking forward to moreso than the ultra-hyped Red Dead Redemption*, where preceding the full splash review, there will be a running diary of first impressions to wet your palette before getting to the final (and perpetually positive) review.

1. Alan Wake is a huge yuppy. No matter how much intensity Wake attempts to the bring to the proceedings, he still is going to battle with a hoodie/sports jacket combo that screams “2 P.M. Starbucks Laptop Jockey”.

2. The game is not quite running at maximum resolution. 960×540 much like Halo 3. It doesn’t affect overall image in the same way it did not effect Halo ODST. The overall look of the game is one of polish (Save wooden puppet dummy cutscenes, strange choice Remedy).

3. From the looks of things it seems developers have gone away from trying to recreate Silent Hill (unsure whether this is good or bad) and are going in the direction of “thriller” or as I’ve taken to calling them “HYBRIDS“.

Quick definition! HYBRID is the term for games that can create a terror-filled experienced for one OR a rhythmic, entertaining battle system that gets you to the end of an intense atmospheric game experience.

i.e. There are two completely correct diametrically opposed groups that argue whether the original Bioshock was one of the most terrifying games ever made. Both sides are right. The fact that they can argue so passionately is due to the hybrid nature of the game.

4. This game has an overwhelmingly convincing evil forest. This is fine example of a game visually being the sum total of its parts. And while the game isn’t overwhelmingly oppressive I am certainly nervous and that’s nice.

So first impressions of Alan Wake in a nutshell: Trials of the Yuppy King Vol. 1.

-Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands media blowout w/movie release reminds me.

I love adventure. Its the lost genre. So much so that I’ve seen National Treasure 2 three times. And played through Uncharted 2 six times. And just saw How to Train your Dragon in every dimension.

A dazzling sense of scale and mystery I enjoy. A situation bigger than the protagonist that can’t be solved with bullets. Or breasts. Magnificent.

For the same reason I am looking forward to May 28th film release of Prince I am frowning at the May 18th release of aforementioned synergistic video game.

You see I am one of the minority. Those that loved the 2008 Prince of Persia reboot. There was something heartfelt about it. A game that was slathered in love and affection from everyone involved on the project.

So when I read page after page of scathing reviews and venom ejected from the mouths the public, I said to myself this isn’t good on two levels:

First, it is a clear indication that the public hasn’t the foggiest idea what it wants. The general consensus that Tomb Raider: Underworld (a broken, rather unfinished game) was better simply because the jumps were a tad less sticky and you could … die for falling into a pit proved an ugly point to myself and Ubisoft which would lead to …

(Second) the next Prince of Persia being the lifeless act of a beaten artist. After all of the love and energy put into a polished product only to have it torn down would mean Ubisoft should logically and unfortunately drop the apron and paintbrush and put the business suit back on.

As a matter of fact it only takes 10 minutes with Prince of Persia: the Forgotten Sands to realize that is exactly what happened.

A button was pressed, and an attempt at cloning the original 2003 edition emerged.

Colorless, flat, and lifeless, this is actually the type of thing the 2008 Prince was attempting to stop.**

-And if you’re wondering, yes I did say that a team that depends on Vince Carter and Dwight Howard to create their offense won’t win a championship. Sorry Magic fans.

-I would like to say that for all of my anti-Japanese game sentiments, 2010 was a good year for them.

Bayonetta to start and Super Street Fighter 4 to send us off into summer.

And given that the last Japanese game I enjoyed was the fun but thoroughly unbalanced Soul Calibur 4, I would have to say I’m proud of the Japanese. If I could offer them a handshake I would.

…Wait a second …

You’re saying that Final Fantasy 13 forces you to use predetermined characters for the first 20 hours before letting you off the reservation?

And that Lost Planet 2 has a single player game that can’t be completed without online assistance?

And that Resonance of Fate requires an textbook to understand the technical aspects of the battle system?

And Gran Turismo 5 is almost done?

Well I’ll be taking that hand back then … sorry guys …

-A.

*I frown upon games that are hidden from public view until their release. All games need either a demo or a nice 40-minute gameplay movie to give me a feel for what it look and plays like. Red Dead Redemption’s refusal to unbutton its blouse even a little leaves me with my arms folded despite quality reviews. More upcoming. I’m already boiling water with which to prepare the crow.

**The whole 2008 Prince of Persia situation actually reminds me as to why my reviews are always so soft-hearted. All games are a creation of effort and sometimes they are creation of love as well. You can tell when the developers have enjoyed making the game (Uncharted 2, Mass Effect 2, Dead Space, Bioshock, Borderlands). Must like if a child gives you a crayon drawing, your reaction to it shapes the future. This isn’t the case with conveyor belt games. Megalith Activision really couldn’t care how you felt about Call of Duty 19 or Guitar Hero 21. In fact they have the assets to wipe you clean off the earth if need be. But when you are handed something made with effort, please be tactful. I’m just saying … Prince of Persia 2008 ended on a MAJOR well-written cliffhanger and I’m fairly certain that I’ll never see it to its conclusion thanks to harsh words. Funny that.